


One Master to Love Them All (Obey Me!)(WIP/NaNoWriMo Project)

by NoxChyc



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Demon Love, Harem, Love Story, Love/Hate, Multi, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2020, Not Your Typical Love Story, Obey Me Team Harem, Other, Polyamorous Character, Relationship Anarchist, relationship anarchy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27242596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxChyc/pseuds/NoxChyc
Summary: "Getting summoned to the Underworld to become one of the first human students of Hell for the next year wasn't exactly part of Nyx's plan, but finding a way to survive is her new plan after waking up in the Devildom. However, her pride and temper are bound to cause her to but heads with a couple of demons she probably shouldn't be butting heads with. And damn her curiosity! This is bound to be a hell of a school year."Hello reader and welcome to the start of my "One Master to Love Them All" fanfiction series. I'm posting this as a sort of experiment. Or we could call it a sort of beta test. I've decided to work on this project for NaNoWriMo. The progress I make during NaNoWriMo will be published here. I will try to get some editing done beforehand so it isn't horribly painful to read, but please don't expect a polished piece yet.The Deets:Based off my playthrough of Obey Me. I will be taking creative liberties to add on to scenes, add new scenes based on chat stories, etc. Seeing as this is a game where the player is the MC, Nyx's character will be based on my gameplay, characteristics given to MC by the game developers, and a bit of my own personality, because player MC.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. The Royal Academy of Diavolo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is a WIP, I can't yet say what warnings or trigger warnings may end up applying to this story. However, should there come a need for it I will add them in the tags as I go and will be sure to post them at the beginnings of new chapters in the notes section to ensure there is fair warning. 
> 
> What I can tell you now is that I tend to write within the adult fiction category, but don't include full-on explicit content/smut. I take the fade to black approach with sex scenes, so if I decide to include any in this book, that's what you can expect. There will be some violence, and a 25+ MC so some adult situations, topics, and language. 
> 
> I mentioned in the summary I'm posting this WIP as a sort of beta test, which means I'm all for constructive criticism and hearing what you think. Such feedback could help me once I move into seriously editing this work later on. Just please remember, what I'm posting is roughly edited drafts. If you're not into giving feedback or con crit, no worries! Feel free to just enjoy. ^.^

Nyx threw her head back into the headrest of her car seat, taking a huge breath and letting it out in the form of an exaggerated groan of exasperation.

"I don't wanna move or think anymore!" she whined as she lazily reached for the keys hanging from the ignition.

"Just up a couple of flights of stairs and then I'm home," she coaxed herself, grabbing for the food delivery bag in the passenger seat before pushing the car door open.

She pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head before stepping out into the cool and misty night air. Moving quickly, she made her way into the building, pushing her hood back once she was inside. Out of habit, she stopped to check the mail. She nabbed the three envelopes she found in her assigned box before heading up the stairs and into her small apartment. She sighed with relief once her door was locked back up and the lights were switched on.

Home sweet home.

Eager to plop down on the couch with some food, she made quick work of her "just got home" routine. She tossed the mail on the coffee table, hung up her coat and scarf, and headed to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat, too hungry to bother removing her shoes. Before long the microwave dinged and Nyx emerged from the too-small kitchen with a steamy plastic dish of cheesy chicken and rice and a bottle of water. She settled into the couch, swiping the TV remote from the coffee table and switching on the TV.

Once her meal was had, she scooted up to the edge of the couch to turn her attention to the envelopes she'd tossed onto the coffee table moments earlier. The return address on one of the letters immediately caught her attention.

_Lord what? Diavolo? ...RAD? ...Devildom? What the hell?_

Questions piled up in her mind before she could even pick up the oddly addressed letter. The paper making up the envelope felt thick and expensive to her hands. Her full name, "Nyx S. Ludos," was written in beautiful script in the center of the envelope, and that was it. No address, just her name.

"Weird..." 

She flipped it over and found it was wax sealed with a fancy crest imprint worthy of royalty.

"Well, it is from a _Lord_ supposedly. Great way to try selling it, I guess," she muttered just before carefully peeling off the seal so as to not break it and pulling out the letter within.

_"Congratulations!_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Royal Academy of Diavolo._

_Please return this letter with your sign to confirm your participation._

_We are looking forward to welcoming you as part of our new exchange program._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Diavolo"_

"Huh." She dropped the letter down on the coffee table, supporting her weight with her elbows on her knees to lean over and stare down at it. "This is obviously a joke, but from who?" 

She rubbed the top corner of the letter between her thumb and finger. "And who would go through this much trouble. This paper isn't exactly cheap, and that seal looked about as legit as it gets."

Nyx reeled back abruptly after watching a red droplet fall and splat onto the bottom of the page, right over a blank line meant for a signature. Her hand instinctively touched just above her lips to check for blood. Sure enough, the blood droplet had come from her nose.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed as she rushed to the bathroom to tend to her random nose bleed.

To her relief, the bleeding stopped as quickly as it had started. This didn't stop her from gently pinching the bridge of her nose in the mirror a few times to check for any soreness or swelling. She dabbed up the blood with a tissue before washing off her face with cool water.

Confident it was nothing serious, she took a moment to first examine the circles forming under her eyes, then her ombre irises. Dark violet pooled at the bottom of her mostly burnt umber gaze, a trait others had told her upped her intimidation factor. Whatever that meant.

A wave of fatigue hit her then and she ended her little examination to return to the living room, plopping back down on the couch with a drained sigh. She leaned back on the couch, interlocking her fingers behind her head as she eyed the strange letter still laying on the table before her. Then she shrugged and picked up the tv remote to find something else to watch.

As she searched through her options she began to feel her eyelids getting heavy. _Guess I'm more tired than I thought,_ she thought as she scrolled down the menu, a big yawn escaping her. _Maybe I should go ahead and change into some bedclothes..._

She settled on a show she'd already watched a few times over and dropped the remote down next to her. No point in watching something that required her full attention when she felt this tired.

Her body sunk a little further into the couch as she stared at the tv screen, her limbs feeling heavier with every minute that passed. Before she knew it her thoughts of changing clothes were forgotten, and she slipped into a deep, relaxing sleep.

***

_She was falling._

_Or rather, she was floating downward... gently, like a feather. All she could see around her was a bright white fog. Her body felt heavy as she drifted... unresponsive... as if she were stuck in sleep paralysis._

_"Wh...Where am I...?" She thought rather than spoke as her mouth also refused to move. She blinked her eyes to try and focus them despite there being nothing for her to focus on._

_"...me..."_

_Her brow furrowed at the sound of a faint, unfamiliar voice._

_"Save me..."_

_That time the voice was a little louder, like whoever had spoken had gotten closer._

_"Please save me."_

_Now it sounded as if the person calling out was right there with her, though she still couldn't see anything but fog. She willed herself to speak, wanting desperately to answer the mystery voice's call. Her lips did indeed part with her attempt, but she struggled to get anything more than a weak "Who?" out._

_"The bad guys caught me. ...You are different, so I'm sure you can save me."_

_Nyx tried even harder to speak, this time managing to whisper a proper question._

_"Wh-what does that mean?"_

_"I beg you. You must find me."_

_After the unknown voice spoke those final words, the light around Nyx began to fade. Her hazy descent quickened, and she was soon swallowed by complete darkness._

***

Nyx groaned as she sat up off the cold hard floor, holding her head.

"Did I fall off the couch?" she murmured.

She grunted when she opened her eyes to see her converse still on her feet.

"And I feel asleep fully dressed," she said, making a sound that started as a sigh and ended as a groan.

She allowed her sleepy eyes to close again as her shoulders slumped down even further. Her hand ran over the smooth floor beneath her, the sensation causing her to freeze.

_If I had fallen off the couch, I'd be sitting on a carpeted floor, not a hard floor..._

Sure enough, when she looked down at her hand, she found it touching a polished hardwood floor.

"Where am I...?" she muttered as her gaze traveled along the floor and up a tall wall, tilting her head back to look all the way up to an impossibly high ceiling.

The room she found herself in looked a lot like a courtroom. An enormous, royal courtroom with a row of large windows revealing a starry night sky and larger-than-normal moon. Between each of the windows was a total of seven purple gold-trimmed banners, each depicting a different creature. A peacock, a pair of crows, a serpent, unicorn, scorpion, fly, and finally a bull.

She forgot completely about the banners the moment her gaze came down to what lay beneath the widows, however. There stood a row of judge's chairs. Eight chairs total; seven on the lower level and one seated up above at the very center.

Chairs with several men sitting in them.

There were five of them, and they were all staring directly at her. The man in the chief judge's seat at the top stood up and smiled down at her.

"Welcome to the Devildom, Nyx," he greeted, his deep voice echoing throughout the entire room.

The reality of her situation suddenly sunk in all at once. Nyx gasped and jumped to her feet, converse squeaking against the floor as she backed away from them as quickly as possible. Her retreat was halted by a long table placed a couple of yards or so before the judge's seats. Her wild eyes darted from man to man but mostly focused on the one who had just greeted her, hands clenching the edge of the table behind her. The others had yet to so much as move. They just watched her with stoic expressions, though she could have sworn she'd seen the glint of amusement in some of their gazes.

They were all dressed in similar uniforms that reminded Nyx of something you might see in a military school. Soft black double-breasted overshirts adorned in gold trims, buttons, and decals. A crimson sash draped back over the left shoulder while a gold metal crest hung from a red ribbon on the opposite shoulder. All of them wore their uniforms a bit differently, but the biggest difference was the uniform worn by the man in the chief judge's seat up top. His uniform was crimson with a black sash and his crest hung from a blue ribbon. He was obviously the one in charge here.

The man in red's brow creased momentarily with concern at her reaction to his greeting.

"Oh, pardon me. Feeling a bit shocked, are we?" He gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, that's understandable. You've only just arrived, after all."

He turned and started walking down the steps from his seat, continuing to speak as he did. Nyx watched him like a scared cat eyeing a stranger as he descended.

"As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom."

"The Devildom...?" Images of the strange letter flashed in Nyx's mind, causing her fearful expression to mix with curiosity.

The man in red smiled and nodded as he rounded the lower row of judge chairs and approached her, a chuckle escaping him. "Yes, exactly, the Devildom. I see that you catch on quickly. Excellent."

He walked right up to her, standing front and center, towering over her meager 5" 2' stature. Her gaze swung up to meet his light golden eyes; a stark contrast to his tanned skin and layered auburn hair. The combination of features made him look otherworldly.

"I suppose I should start by introducing myself." He placed a hand on his chest and smiled, offering her his right hand. "My name is Diavolo. I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom."

Nyx's mouth slightly gaped at the words "ruler of all demons." Was he for real? For some reason, despite the healthy amount of skepticism she held when faced with the unknown, she found herself believing his words. Perhaps it was that otherworldly appearance of his or the fact that she had magically woken up in this strange place just moments ago. Maybe it was that strange dream she had before she'd woken up...

...Had it been a dream?

Before she could think about it for too long, Diavolo extended his hand out a little more, politely hinting for her to hurry up and accept his handshake. She awkwardly pried her right hand from the table's edge and reached out to take his hand, giving him the standard firm but not too firm grip often used in the States. Her inability to stop her hand from trembling made her cringe internally. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this shaken up.

Lord Diavolo smiled big, giving her hand a firm shake before releasing it. Nyx promptly returned her hand to the table she was clinging to for dear life. The self-proclaimed Demon Lord then gestured toward a large, open window off to the side. The view nearly caused her to gasp again. It was at this point that she allowed herself to loosen the death grip she had on the table edge, straightening her posture to better gaze out the window in awe.

They were overlooking what Nyx assumed was the city of Devildom. The layout reminded her of the suburban areas of the city she called home; buildings all clustered together with a multitude of intersecting streets, and plenty of lights. However, the thing that had really caught her attention was the massive dark castle standing among the sea of lights and buildings. Oddly enough, the sight of civilization helped her to forget her fear a little.

"This is the Royal Academy of Diavolo, though we just call it RAD," Lord Diavolo continued, bringing Nyx's attention back in time to see him gesture toward the building around them.

"You're standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where we officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I'm the president of said council."

Feeling a little calmer now that it was clear she wasn't in immediate danger -for now anyway- she crossed her arms and hardened her expression, shifting her weight to one leg. Nyx was famous among her friends for her swift mood shifts. A few of them had even taken to naming her different faces. She could almost hear one of them now, saying, _"Uh-oh. Here comes the Ice Queen."_

"Why am I here?" she asked in a stern tone.

Diavolo's brows rose at her sudden change in demeanor. Sure, as far as she could tell this _Lord Diavolo_ guy had no ill intentions, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't agreed to come here in the first place. As she recalled, she never signed that letter she received from him.

"I will explain everything to you."

Nyx felt her insides jump at the sudden answer from a new voice but managed to keep her composure. One of the men who had been previously sitting in one of the judge's chairs had somehow made his way to them without her noticing. The man took a place next to the Demon Lord and crossed his arms.

He was a touch shorter than Diavolo but that hardly took away from his commanding presence. He stood tall and proud, with black hair parted on the right side of his pale face, his bangs fading into grey tips. A cold chill ran down Nyx's spine as she met his gaze. His black and red ombre eyes were piercing. It was as if he had the ability to look directly through her and into her soul. Which, if what Diavolo had just said was true, he probably could. She found herself suddenly understanding what people meant when they said her own dark gaze upped her intimidation factor.

_...Oh._

Lord Diavolo smiled big, happily gesturing over to the man next to him. "Nyx, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride."

Nyx's left eye twitched at the name. It took extra effort for her to maintain her hardened expression.

_Wait, **thee** Lucifer?!_

She focused on keeping her breath even to stay calm. If this whole bit about demons was true -something she was believing more and more by the minute- the last thing she wanted to do was show them her fear.

"He's also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man...and not just in title, I assure you," the Lord continued, crossing his arms again, "Beyond that, he's also my most trusted friend."

Lucifer shook his head and frowned. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Diavolo."

With that, he took a step closer to Nyx, his stoic expression finally breaking with a polite smile. He rested a hand on the center of his chest.

"Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours, I offer you a most heartfelt welcome, Nyx," he greeted with a slight bow of the head.

Every movement he made was done with effortless grace, and he spoke with a smooth, deep voice that Nyx might have enjoyed had this been different circumstances. No way was she dropping her guard just yet though, despite how beautiful and alluring he was. Part of that lure felt like a trap to her for some reason. They were claiming to be demons after all. She maintained her cold demeanor as she watched him carefully.

"Answer my question," she said in a clipped tone.

She was surprised to see Lucifer grin with amusement at her demand. He seemed to really look at her then, those piercing eyes searching hers.

"...Interesting. This one is quite different from Solomon," he mused before continuing with a nod, returning to his more professional tone.

"Diavolo believes that we demons should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm. As a first step towards this goal, we've decided to institute an exchange program. We've sent two of our students to the human world and two to the Celestial Realm and we're welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm."

Nyx arched a brow at his explanation but remained silent. The friendly expression Lucifer held faded away as he gave her a quick once over.

"So, I take it you've probably put two and two together at this point, right?" He pointed at her without unfolding his arm. " _You've_ been chosen from among the people of the human world to participate in this program of ours," he flashed her a sly grin, " _You are our newest exchange student._ "

Nyx gave a thoughtful hum and quirked her lips, shifting her weight to her other leg. Questions were piling up in her mind, but she could tell he wasn't done explaining just yet.

"Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on the tasks that you will receive from RAD. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in the Devildom."

She furrowed her brow. "Tasks?"

Lucifer frowned and shook his head. "You are here as an exchange student. Did you really expect to spend your time here fooling around?"

Nyx hmphed and tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. That hadn't been what she'd meant when she'd asked. Apparently simplified questions weren't the way to go.

Lucifer shook his head, grinning with a half-lidded gaze. "Don't glare at me like that. It's not like I will abandon you all by yourself here in the Devildom. You need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother Mammon."

His brow creased after speaking his brother's name. "He's the Avatar of Greed and...how should I put it...?"

He looked away for a short moment as he thought before returning his focus to Nyx. "Oh well, you'll understand soon enough."

Lucifer reached into his uniform as if to pull something from a hidden breast pocket. Sure enough, his gloved hand emerged with what looked like a smartphone, which he then presented to Nyx.

"Here, take this device. It's called a D.D.D. It's a lot like the cell phones of your world."

Nyx carefully plucked the device from his hand, being careful to not make contact with him in the process.

"This will be yours to use for as long as you're here," he explained as Nyx turned it over in her hands to examine it. "Now go ahead and try calling Mammon with it."

She turned the D.D.D. around to hold it properly, her shoulders sinking as she dropped her frigid, stoic act. Her gaze swung up to look first at Lucifer, then to Diavolo waiting patiently just behind him, and then back to Lucifer. She frowned.

"Do I really not get a say in any of this?" She asked in a soft, sad voice.

Those hard, soul seeing eyes softened at her question. Perhaps he understood her aversion toward her lack of choice on the matter. He folded his arms and shook his head gently. "This is unfortunately not an option." His more serious expression returned as quickly as it had gone and he gave a finalizing nod. "You were chosen. That is something you can't change."

Nyx shifted her gaze back down to the D.D.D. in her hand. "I see." Her brows turned outward. "But I never signed that letter..."

Diavolo's head tilted to the side curiously. "Oh? You mean this one?" he inquired as pulled something from the breast of his overshirt.

Nyx immediately recognized the envelope he now held. She watched as he pulled the letter from within and unfolded it, giving it a quick scan.

"It's indeed been signed." He gave a definitive nod before turning the letter around to hold it out for Nyx to see. "Signed in blood, as a matter of fact. Not something I expected from a regular human, but nonetheless, there it is."

She stared wide-eyed at the single drop of blood staining the signature line.

"But, that was just a random nose bleed! How does that even count?!" she exclaimed, her calm exterior melting away with a new wave of anger.

As the question left her mouth, her mind immediately came up with an answer. Contracts signed in blood were supposed to be a big thing with demons. At least, that's what a lot of the stories back on earth said. This idea didn't help her to calm down, however. A part of her was still having trouble believing this was really happening.

Diavolo gave Lucifer a sideways glance, eyes narrowing with suspicion for the briefest of moments. Had Nyx not been so focused on him she might have missed it. She also caught the slightest hint of Lucifer's shoulders tensing the moment the Demon Lord's wary gaze shifted on him.

"Oh...I see," Diavolo said, turning his attention back to Nyx, his tone matching his apologetic expression, "I'm sorry to hear that. However, this contract is magically binding, and it being signed in blood makes it even more binding, I'm afraid."

_Called it._

He folded and returned the letter to its envelope before tucking it back into a hidden breast pocket. Nyx squeezed the D.D.D in her hand while the other came up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"You've **_got_** to be kidding me," she seethed.

She thought she caught the sound of whispering, but was too caught up in her outrage at the situation to pay any real attention to it.

"I'm afraid he's not," Lucifer chimed in then, earning yet another icy glare from Nyx.

He met her with a cold look of his own, as if warning her not to make a huge scene over it. She held his gaze for a long moment before dropping her hand back to her side, closing her eyes. One deep breath followed another as she worked to calm herself. Demons or not, she was grossly outnumbered by men wearing uniforms, and something deep down warned her that this was a fight she shouldn't pick.

She finally sighed and ran a hand through the shorter half of her asymmetrical hairstyle, leaning back against the table behind her.

"Very well then. How much is this going to cost me?" she asked, her tone even.

Lucifer recoiled ever so slightly. "Pardon?"

"How much is tuition here?" she tried instead.

Diavolo spoke up then, flashing Nyx a reassuring smile. "Education here in the Devildom is completely free for everyone, including exchange students."

Nyx perked up a little with this new information. "Wait, seriously?"

Lucifer smiled. "Yes, seriously," he reassured, "You can attend RAD without paying a single grimm. Or, dime, as they say where you're from."

"It's like Lucifer said," Diavolo said, "you're not to be abandoned to fend for yourself here in the Devildom. Your education here will be covered, as well as your room and board."

"Huh." She wrapped her arm around her middle, her body visibly relaxing a bit more. "Well, that at least sweetens the deal a little." She gesticulated with the hand still holding the new phone. "What's going to happen to my apartment? If I can't pay my rent I'll lose all my belongings while I'm here."

"So deliberate as well. She kind of reminds me of you~"

The sound of the singsong whisper drew Nyx's attention to the men still seated in the judge's seats just behind Diavolo. She watched as a man with brilliant, golden blond hair pressed a finger to his lips to shoosh the one sitting next to him.

Before she could take a closer look at them, Diavolo nodded and leaned back against the banister in front of the judge's seats, folding his arms loosely to rest just below his chest. "Rest assured, everything has been taken care of. Your home will remain untouched, awaiting your return."

"I see." Nyx squared her shoulders and pressed a button on the side of the D.D.D. to turn on the screen, her cold disposition returning, "I'm still not happy about my lack of choice in this matter. However, I have been wanting to continue my education for some time now."

"And what better way to do that than to study abroad here in the Devildom," Lucifer said with a victorious grin, "Now, hurry up and call Mammon here so we can finish getting you squared away."

"Right," she said unenthusiastically as she selected Mammon's name in the contacts and put the phone to her ear.


	2. The Seven Brothers

The line rang a few times before a loud voice answered.

“Yoooo.”

“Hi,” Nyx greeted in an impassive tone.

“Huh? Who the hell are ya? You ain’t Lucifer,” the new voice questioned.

“No, I’m a human.”

“Whaaa? A human?”

“That’s right.”

“Geez, I was gettin’ all chilly here thinkin’ it was Lucifer again. Ya should’ve told me right away.”

Nyx rolled her eyes but said nothing. Her silent reaction earned her a stifled giggle from one of the men still patiently seated in the row of judge’s chairs. She watched as a very pretty, strawberry blond gentleman leaned over to whisper something to the other two sitting with him.

“So, what business does a human got with THE Mammon?” The voice on the other end of the D.D.D. asked, bringing Nyx’s attention back to the conversation.

“I’m told you’ll be in charge of me from now on,” she answered, maintaining the deadpan tone.

“No way! There’s nothin’ in it for me.”

Nyx sighed through her nose. _Yeah, you and me both from the sounds of it…_

“AAH!” Nyx winced and pulled the phone from her ear a bit, glaring sideways at the device. “I get it now, you’re the other human - the new exchange student! G’luck with that, and see ya.”

“Lucifer called for you,” she said quickly, hoping to stop him from hanging up.

_Just gonna put that under “things I never thought I’d have to say.”_

“Pffft, whatever. Ya think THE Mammon would listen to ya just ‘cause you’re tryin’ to scare me with that name?”

Lucifer closed the distance between him and Nyx then, standing too close and prompting Nyx to briefly wrinkle her nose at him. He glared down at the phone in her hand. She drew up her brows, instantly understanding his intent, and turned the device’s screen to face him.

“You’ve got 10 seconds… 9… 8…” Lucifer said in a low, threatening tone.

“YESSIR!” Mammon answered quickly and loudly before ending the call.

Much to Nyx’s relief, Lucifer took a healthy step back the moment Mammon hung up. He flashed her one of those fake, polite smiles.

“Sounds like you had a nice chat.”

Nyx scoffed. “I would have preferred someone a bit more responsible,” she replied darkly.

Lucifer’s shoulders shook with a hearty chuckle. “You look even more worried now, huh.”

She shot him another glare. _So glad he finds this so damn amusing,_ she thought acidly, half hoping he could read minds at that moment.

Diavolo stood up off the divider and came to stand next to Lucifer, his expression a sympathetic one. “Well, if you were suddenly brought to a strange place and then got told that an unfamiliar face will now take care of you, you’d certainly feel anxious.”

Nyx’s cold stare softened before settling on the Demon Lord. At least he was trying to be understanding.

“However,” Diavolo continued with a confident tone fit for a king, “Mammon isn’t the only one to help you out.”

He smiled as if all her worries were about to be erased. Nyx wasn’t nearly as confident.

“Now then…” he looked to Lucifer, “we still need to introduce our new friend to your brothers, Lucifer. And it’s probably better that you do that instead of me, wouldn’t you say?”

Lucifer’s amused expression fell at the Lord’s words. “Yes… As much as I _dread_ the idea of doing so, you’re right.”

It was then that Nyx noticed that the other three men had stood from their seats and were now making their way to join them. The strawberry blond she had seen whispering moments ago arrived first. He skipped right up to Lucifer and nuzzled up to him as if he wanted to give the taller demon a kiss on the cheek. Lucifer looked less than amused.

“Oh, come now. _Really?_ You should be honored that you get to introduce such a _sweet_ and _charming_ little brother like me!” the pretty demon said in a dramatically sweet tone.

Nyx could tell by the sound of his voice that he had been the one she’d heard whispering about her being deliberate moments ago.

Lucifer frowned and shook his head with a heavy sigh. “This one here is Asmodeus. He’s the fifth eldest. He is the Avatar of Lust.”

The pretty demon, Asmodeus, looked as if he’d just been slapped in the face. His face twisted into a scowl as he took a brisk step back from his brother, holding up a clenched fist.

“Wh… I can’t believe you just totally ignored what I said! And not only that, you referred to me as _this one_. How rude!”

A demon with golden, layered hair parted to the right came to stand next to Asmodeus then. He was the one she’d caught shooshing Asmodeus. Something about the way he moved and stood reminded her of Lucifer for some reason. She figured it was the way he kept his back and shoulders perfectly straight in much the same fashion.

He hmphed as he placed a hand on his hip, frowning. “At least he didn’t ignore you altogether. How do you think I feel?”

“That one there is Satan, the fourth eldest of us. At first glance, he may seem like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving,” Lucifer said dryly, an unreadable expression painting his face.

Satan’s gaze narrowed slightly at Lucifer as he wrapped a hand around his chin. “Aha, so _I’m_ thatone, am I?”

He shifted his focus to Nyx, his cyan and yellow-green ombre eyes grabbing her full attention easily. “Nice to meet you, Nyx,” He gave her a polite smile, placing a hand on his chest. “I am Satan, the Avatar of Wrath.”

Nyx tore her gaze from Satan to look back and forth between him and Asmodeus before settling on Asmodeus. “So, the Avatar of Lust huh.”

Nyx had read up on the seven deadly sins before so she was indeed familiar with the concept of there being a demon that governed each one. However, she never thought she would find herself face to face with the big seven. She found herself wishing she had read more, but that’s hindsight for you.

_Guess I get to learn about them up close and personal. Lucky me..._

Asmodeus perked up then, giving her an enthusiastic nod and smile. “That’s right! It pretty much sums up what I’m about! Including my power.” He took a step closer to her and bent down just enough to match her eye level. “Let’s give a little demonstration! Nyx, could you gaze into my eyes for a moment?” He leaned in a little closer, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Nyx crossed her arms and tilted her chin up, but obliged his request. She was in no mood to be seduced or swooned or whatever it was he was about to attempt, but she couldn’t help but feel morbidly curious.

He beamed, edging a little closer. “Yes, great! That’s perfect!”

His hand reached up to gently brush away the much longer, dark brown hair obscuring the left side of her face so he could get a clear look at both of her dark, cold eyes. Nyx wrinkled her nose at his touch, instinctually wanting to pull away, but also not wanting to back down from this little “demonstration,” as he had put it.

“Now keep your eyes fixed on mine. Just like that…”

He did have beautiful, otherworldly eyes. They were a shocking shade of light red with an outward yellow gradient and were framed nicely by his long, sweeping bangs. However, aside from finding him to be visually stunning, she didn’t find herself feeling any pull or attraction toward him.

After a long awkward moment, Nyx tilted her head. “Are you doing the thing yet or...?”

“...Wait a minute.” Asmodeus’s gaze grew wide and he straightened himself back up suddenly. He looked her up and down, tapping his chin. “There’s something about you… hmm…”

“I should probably warn you, Nyx: you’d best be wary of Asmodeus’s gaze,” Satan said, his amused grin stealing Nyx’s focus. “He can charm and manipulate people and use them to his own advantage.” His brow knitted together and his light, matter-of-fact tone dropped with seriousness. “If you’re not careful, he’ll charm you. And once you’re under his spell, _he’ll eat you_.”

_Oh… Noted._

Asmodeus growled as he spun around to face Satan, raising an angry fist in his direction. “Hey, don’t go around saying things like that…”

The angry demon crossed his arms, regaining his composure before half turning to look back over at the little uncharmable human. He locked eyes with Nyx again, squinting a little at her as if he were trying to confirm that his gaze was indeed having no effect. Nyx arched an eyebrow before turning her head to look sideways at him, confirming that his charm did indeed have no effect on her.

He frowned as he finally gave up and stepped back to stand between Satan and Lucifer again.

“Hmm… regardless, my power doesn’t seem to work this time for some reason. I wonder why.”

Nyx quirked her lips and rubbed her chin, humming thoughtfully as she gave Asmodeus a once over. She’d barely been in this strange place for ten minutes and already something rather interesting -other than meeting demons, that is- had happened. Her focus zeroed in on Satan then.

“So, I assume that your title also sums up what you’re about then?”

He smiled and opened his mouth to answer, but before any words could form Lucifer’s voice rang out, demanding Nyx’s attention and earning a rather dirty look from Satan.

“That’s right,” he said with a nod, “He may flash you a pretty smile like that, but you had better be careful because it is all an act.”

Satan smiled, but there was something very off-putting about it. It caused Nyx’s stomach to squirm uncomfortably. He placed a hand on his chest, directing the wide, thin smile to his eldest brother.

“If you continue saying such nonsense, you’ll just scare Nyx.”

It was now apparently Satan’s turn to approach Nyx, much to her displeasure. He still wore that off-putting amused smile, but now an ominous purple aura was emitting from all around him. Nyx stared up at him with a newfound fear, hand still on her chin in her thoughtful pose as if it had been glued to it. All remaining doubts she had been previously holding on to about whether these men truly were demons vanished on the spot. She debated with herself on whether now would be a good time to jump over the table behind her or not.

Satan bent himself at the hips until he was at Nyx’s eye level, back remaining straight with a hand placed over his heart. Despite the head up bow looking very butler-like, the way he had moved reminded her of a robot more than anything else. She felt a frantic electricity surge through her entire body the moment they were face to face, telling her to run like her life depended on it.

The other demons approaching her hadn’t been nearly this fear-inducing. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as the Avatar of Wrath himself eyed at her like a cat wanting to toy with a bird. Yet, somehow, she was able to maintain control and not succumb to the overwhelming urge to jump out the nearest window to make an escape.

“Don’t take him too seriously, Nyx. Lucifer enjoys speaking ill of his brothers. He is the Avatar of Pride, after all.”

She caught the settle twitch in his left eye, reminding her of her own little tell whenever she found herself trying a little too hard to mask her anger. Oddly enough, she felt herself begin to calm with his words, the urge to flee fading a bit.

_That’s right, this anger isn’t actually for me, it’s for Lucifer. Is he just taking the opportunity to show off since his brother has him all fired up?_

Her previous contemplative look rained over her face once again. She took a closer look at his aura then, tapping a finger on her lips. The urge to flee was still there, but it was dull now and didn’t stand a chance against her curiosity.

“I see… so this is what a demon aura is like. Fascinating.”

Satan’s expression changed from that creepy smile to a gape in less than a second, his menacing aura dissipating instantly. He righted himself in much the same fashion that Asmodeus had moments ago. A grin played at his lips while he rubbed his chin, giving Nyx a once over.

“Fascinating indeed,” he practically purred.

While Nyx was sure he wasn’t talking about his aura like she had just been, she was unsure as to what it was about _her_ that he found so intriguing all of a sudden.

A tired sigh escaped Lucifer then. “Are you done?”

Satan nodded and stepped away, turning about to lean against the table next to Nyx with folded arms, being sure to pick a spot just outside of her personal space.

“For now,” Satan stated subtly, flashing Lucifer that creepy smile once again.

Nyx folded her arms, eyeing him suspiciously. _Not sure I like the sounds of that…_

“Now,” Lucifer began, regaining Nyx’s attention, “the one there with the very grumpy look on his face is Beelzebub. He’s the sixth oldest.”

He gestured to another demon standing quietly on the opposite side of Diavolo. Nyx had been too distracted by the other two brothers to notice when he’d gotten there. He stood about as tall as the Demon Lord, making him the tallest of the brothers she’d been introduced to so far. His messy hair was a shocking shade of orange and his eyes were even more vibrant with their alarmingly violet and pink ombre irises.

Beelzebub turned his grumpy look on his older brother. “Lucifer, I’m hungry.”

Lucifer’s brow pinched together. “That’s too bad. Now behave yourself.”

A loud rumble came from Beelzebub’s stomach, prompting him to place a hand over his middle. He frowned before turning his attention to Nyx.

“I’m Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony,” he stated, voice void of any emotion.

Nyx gave him a polite nod.

“So…” Lucifer stepped up to stand directly in front of Nyx, folding his arms, “There are seven of us brothers in all, and I’m the eldest. Mammon, the second oldest of us, will be here soon.” He looked off to the side, staring at something that wasn’t there. “My other brothers aren’t here at the moment, but… well, we can get to them later. All in good time.”

Diavolo came to stand next to him, a very satisfied smile adorning his face. “During your stay in the Devildom, the seven brothers will lend you their strength. To keep you safe, you are to stay with them at the House of Lamentation.”

Nyx inclined her head to the side, quirking a single brow. “The House of Lamentation? And what do you mean by ‘to keep me safe’ exactly?”

A sly grin pulled at Lucifer’s lips. “Most agree with Diavolo, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t vulgar demons out there who wouldn’t harm you. If anything were to happen to you, it would be our responsibility.” His grin faded as a more serious expression overtook his features. “And I won’t betray Diavolo’s expectations. So, I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive your stay down here in the Devildom.”

That sly grin returned to his face before he continued. “As for your other question, The House of Lamentation is where I live with my brothers. It is a rather spacious house, and it was originally a cursed house in the human world. So, I assume it won’t be a problem for you – a human – to live there.”

“I see,” Nyx said, silently praying that none of them could hear how her heart had suddenly started beating against her ribcage, almost as if Satan was trying to scar her again.

She was supposed to live with these guys?! Just like that?! She’d figured she would be staying somewhere, naturally, but she had no idea that she was being introduced to her new roommates this whole time. Would she be expected to share a room with one of them too? If so, is that why they ‘assigned’ that loud mouth demon, Mammon, to her?

Lucifer’s next words interrupted her frantic thoughts.

“Although we will all be living together, you should still have the means to reach us at any given time.” He pointed to the device in her hand. “All of our phone numbers are already in there. And your D.D.D. also has a messaging app. Make sure to add all of us.”

Diavolo pulled out his own D.D.D. “I’ll go ahead and send you a message!”

“Isn’t that nice, Nyx,” Satan said, prompting her to turn her head in his direction, “Now you will be friends with the future king of the Devildom!”

Nyx blinked at Satan’s sweet smile a couple of times before looking down at her device, deciding to not make a smart ass comment.

Diavolo started tapping on his phone screen and it was only a matter of seconds before her own D.D.D. buzzed and chimed with a new message. 

(Quick Note: The above is the preview I posted before the start of NaNo. Following this point will be my NaNo progress. Sorry for the weird interruption in this chapter. This won't be a norm.)

******Diavolo Chat******

**Diavolo:**

This is my account.

Feel free to send me a message at any time. 

(Blackjack temper tantrum sticker)

*******

Nyx looked up from the screen to arch a brow at Diavolo. The Demon Lord grimaced with embarrassment without looking up, quickly tapping on his device. Within seconds her phone buzzed with more messages. 

*******

**Diavolo:**

Oh sorry.

I haven’t gotten used to this yet. 

You see, Lucifer is the only demon who sends me messages…

(Happy smile Nancy sticker)

That’s the one I wanted to send you!

*******

She quirked her lips to the side, looking through the stickers for a quick, polite reply. She found a cheery-looking sticker that didn’t really match how she felt but she couldn’t find anything thing else so she went with it. 

*******

**Nyx:**

("Thanks" Nancy sticker)

**Diavolo:**

("Whoo!" Red Devil sticker)

***********

Diavolo beamed at her as he put his phone away, looking very satisfied. Nyx started to do the same until her device buzzed yet again. This time it was a message from Asmodeus. She stole a glance in his direction and found he was watching her expectantly. The message only consisted of a cutesy demon blowing a kiss. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she quickly found what she thought would be a polite response among the cute little demon stickers, settling on a red devil giving a friendly wink. 

Asmodeus smiled triumphantly before sending her a smiling sticker, sliding his D.D.D back into his pocket. Nyx noticed Beelzebub now had his phone in hand so she opped out of putting hers away just yet. Just as she’d figured, the device went off with a message from the Avatar of Gluttony. 

*****Beelzebub Chat*****

**Beelzebub:**

If you’ve got anything to eat, could you give some to me?

(Sweat drop Nancy sticker)

*******

Nyx cocked her head to the side as she typed her reply.

*******

**Nyx:**

Did you not get a chance to eat today yet?

**Beelzebub:**

I ate a while ago, but Lucifer kept talking and talking and I got hungry again. 

*******

She took a quick moment to slip her hand into the front pocket of her maroon knee-length cardigan before replying. 

*******

**Nyx:**

I have a lollipop. Heads up.

*******

Beelzebub looked up with excited eyes as he watched Nyx pull a large cherry flavored tootsie pop from her pocket and tossed it to him. He snatched it from the air, immediately pulling the wrapper off and popping it in his mouth with a smile. His attention dropped back down to his D.D.D.

*******

**Beelzebub:**

I knew you were a friend! 

(Happy hearts, arm-waving Blackjack sticker)

***********

_Well, that was easy,_ Nyx thought as she allowed a small grin to break her cold disposition for a short moment.

“Here,” Satan said, phone already in hand, “I’ll send you something really quick so you have my account as well. No need to reply.”

Nyx’s phone buzzed once more. She opened the message to find a sticker of a three-legged crow in a red hoodie saluting her. She couldn’t help but blink at his profile picture a few times. The last thing she had expected to see on the Avatar of Wrath’s profile picture was a pair of drawn-on cat ears. 

She glanced sideways at him as she turned off the phone screen and slide the device into the front pocket of her maroon knee-length cardigan. “Thanks.”

Lucifer sighed out of nowhere then, shaking his head. “Well, you’ve got that done now, and it seems the idiot has arrived as well.”

A door slammed from somewhere behind Nyx, prompting her to turn around in time to see a white-haired man storming towards her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this and the last chapter of what I already had drafted out before the start of NaNo, ending my little project preview. This chapter isn't quite done just yet so I'll be finishing it once I start with NaNoWriMo. I hope you enjoyed it and decide to follow this work's progress. Please feel free to let me know what you think so far and don't be afraid to ask me any questions. ^.^
> 
> Update: This chapter has been finished! I'll be coming back later to add in chat sticker images once I can put them someplace convenient to get the image link needed to add images. Hope the simple sticker descriptions are ok for now. I didn't want to wait any longer to post my progress, lol. For those who may not know the names of the OM Chat sticker characters, Blackjack is the three-legged crow in a red hoodie, Nancy is the green horned purple demon in a black hoodie, and Red Devil is the red devil dude wearing a black hoodie with a blue star.


	3. Mammon, Avatar of Greed & The First Dance...Battle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: Chapter 2 has been finished and updated, so if you started reading this story before I started posting NaNo progress (11/11/2020) be sure you check back to finish reading the previous chapter before starting in on this one. Otherwise, please carry on!

The rather grumpy looking white-haired man rounded the long table Nyx was leaning against, approaching her on the opposite side from where Satan stood.

"HEY! Just _who_ do you think you are, human? You've got a lotta nerve summoning the _Great Mammon_!"

The disgruntled demon didn't stop until he was close enough to get in her face, causing her to lean away with a glare, arms crossed. He had a warm tan that very nearly matched hers, his messy white hair almost covering his blue and yellow ombre eyes.

With his hands on his hips, he leaned over her, short fangs peeking from under his curled lip as he spoke. "Listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once. If you value your life, then you'll hand over all of your money now! And anything else of value, too!" He leaned in a little more, making Nyx scrunch up her nose. "Otherwise I'll wipe that stupid, smug look right off of your face... by eatin' you! Startin' at your head and working my way down, until-"

"Mammon, shut up or I'll punch you!" Lucifer intervened then, raising a tightly clenched fist and knocking him on the back of his head with a loud smack, nearly causing the loud-mouth demon to headbutt Nyx.

Nyx scooted away abruptly, coming to stand within Satan's reach. She stiffened upon realizing this. What she would give to not be surrounded by strangers right now.

Mammon turned on Lucifer. "GAH, OWW! Hey, what's the big idea?! I thought you were actually gonna give me _a chance_ to shut up before punching me!" He rubbed the back of his head, frowning.

"Not the introduction I was expecting," Nyx muttered with annoyance.

Satan stood up off the table then and gestured toward Mammon, a polite smile adorning his face. "Nyx, Mammon here is the Avatar of Greed. He governs and oversees all forms of it." He placed a hand on his hip before continuing. "Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash in money. But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They're left without a Grimm to their name."

Asmodeus stepped up to join Satan. "And he's a masochist. That part's important."

Lucifer nodded in agreement at Asmo's words. "Indeed. And it just so happens I have a job for my masochist of a brother."

"Y'all, stop telling lies! I ain't asked for that punch, and I AIN'T a masochist!" Mammon grumbled, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Mammon, _you_ are going to be in charge of seeing to this human's needs during the whole exchange. I expect your full cooperation," Lucifer instructed, looking rather pleased with his idea.

"What?!" Mammon exclaimed, dropping his arm, "Why me?!"

Nyx looked away, finding a spot on the floor to glare at, suppressing a scoff. "Why you, indeed," she grumbled under her breath, earning a brief smirk and amused grunt from Satan. Her shoulders tensed.

_That's right, I'm dealing with demons now. They likely have advanced senses. I need to keep that in mind or my mouth may cause me more trouble than I need._

"Aww, lucky you, Mammon! I'm so jealous..." Asmodeus said in a less than convincing tone.

Mammon faced Asmodeus now. "All right, then why don't _you_ do it, Asmodeus?!"

Asmo shook his head, frowning. "What? Hell no, too lazy."

"I thought you said you were jealous of me?!"

"Just give it up, Mammon," Satan intervened, "There's no getting out of this," He smiled wickedly at his brother, "You know you can't refuse a direct command from Lucifer, correct?"

Mammon sulked. "But why does it have to be me?! What about Beel? Why can't he do it?!"

Asmodeus shook his head, frowning deeply at Mammon. "This isn't a job we can entrust to Beel. We might as well ask him to _eat_ this human."

"Mm," Beelzebub nodded, pulling the already-half-gone sucker from his mouth, "yeah. I can't promise I wouldn't."

Mammon threw his hands up. "You're useless, you know that?!"

Beelzebub just popped the sucker back into his mouth, unphased.

"...Mammon?" Lucifer called, giving his brother a level look.

Mammon turned to face his older brother, a nervous energy taking over his previous outrage. "...Wh-What?"

Much like Satan earlier, Lucifer suddenly started emitting an ominous purple aura, his eyes narrowing into icy slits. " ** _Surely_** you're not going to tell me that you object to this arrangement, are you?"

The obnoxious demon gulped, frozen in place before Lucifer's demanding presence. Then, once Lucifer saw that his brother wasn't going to disobey, his aura simmered down until it vanished. Impending doom gone, Mammon shook his head and threw his hands up again.

"Ugh...I hate you guys! Every last one of ya!"

Lucifer continued to stare coldly at him.

Mammon dropped his hands onto his hips. "Fine...FINE! I'll do it, okay?!"

He spun around and walked up to Nyx once again. "All right, _human_ , listen up. As much as I don't want to look after you, I've got no choice. It's a huge pain in the ass, and I'm too important for this kind of thing, but Lucifer told me to do it, so I will." He sneered angrily, "But in return, you better make sure you don't cause me any trouble, got it?!"

Nyx glowered up at him before shrugging a shoulder and turning her gaze away, annoyance creasing her brow. "Whatever," she snipped.

Mammon nodded. "Good, that's what I want to see. You ain't gotta like it, you just gotta go along with it. As long as you do as I say, we won't have any problems. Just be sure you don't forget which one of us is the boss here."

Nyx rolled her eyes but said nothing. Lucifer cleared his throat and rapped on Mammon's shoulder with the back of his hand twice to get him to move aside, which he did.

"We have decided who will take care of you, so on to the next subject: your tasks," Lucifer said to her with a polite smile.

"What sort of tasks?" Nyx asked, genuinely curious.

"Good question..." Lucifer crossed his arms, "Your task is to polish up your soul nicely and to acquire the power to resist demons."

Nyx quirked a single brow. "It's okay to resist?"

Lucifer nodded before continuing. "Demons like humans with nice souls." He slipped into a half-lidded gaze, giving her a smirk. "Let me put it another way. Nice souls look like shiny jewels. Do you understand now?"

Nyx drummed her fingers on her arm with a narrowed gaze but remained silent. She didn't like how he was talking to her as if she were a child.

"Demons will use their wisdom and abilities to tempt the humans so they can get their hands on their souls." His expression leveled out into a more serious one. "Other demons at RAD also have tasks assigned to them just like you. In other words, either humans will be tempted by demons, or demons will lose against the shiny and noble soul of a human and make a run for it."

He placed a hand on his chest, smiling. "You could say it is an experiment to find out who will win."

Nyx tilted her head. "What happens if I win?"

A hearty laugh billowed from him then and he smiled. "Let's see... I'll prepare some reward to make sure you give it your all."

She tilted her head in the other direction. "And if I lose?"

He smirked. "There is no penalty set. Would you like me to think of one?"

She scoffed, giving him a leveled look. His amusement melted away with her lack thereof.

"There, there, don't give me that look. Don't take it so seriously. You won't have to do those tasks on your own." That half-lidded look of his reappeared. "After all, you don't have any magic in you unlike the other exchange student from the human world..."

Nyx's shoulders dropped slightly and she looked down. She hadn't even known magic was something humans could actually have and use before today. There were plenty of stories and rumors but she'd never seen it for herself.

Lucifer's arrogant expression faded with her change in demeanor. "...so my brothers and I will lend our power to you and you alone." She turned her gaze back up to him then and he smiled. "To see is to believe, so why don't you go ahead and give those tasks a try, Nyx?"

As if he'd been waiting for Lucifer's cue, Diavolo snapped his fingers and a gray checkered stage with a blank backdrop appeared on the far side of the room, causing Nyx to turn and gasp. On the stage were three small, round demons wearing top hats with horns protruding out the top, were giving them big, toothy grins. One of them, the one with the yellow corkscrew horns, waved a small, clawed hand excitedly at them.

Diavolo started making his way to the stage, waving for Nyx to follow him. "Come, Nyx! I've been eagerly awaiting this moment to show off my latest idea!"

Nyx pulled her shoulders back and followed the Demon Lord across the room to the strange stage, Lucifer falling into step next to her.

"I think this will be a fun way for ordinary humans to learn how to resist and charm demons," Diavolo continued, spreading his arms out wide before the stage.

He then spun around to face Nyx, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We'll just give you a quick demonstration for now since there is still so much left to do to get you settled, but don't worry. We'll go more in-depth later."

"You'll need your D.D.D. for this so go ahead and bring it back out," Lucifer instructed.

Nyx did as he said, her stomach knotting uncomfortably when he moved in to look over her shoulder.

"Now, first find the app called 'Nightmare.' This is the app that will allow you to borrow our magical powers."

Nyx easily found the app and opened it, brows shooting up when an Ouija board appeared on her screen. It wasn't quite like the ones she'd seen back home as this one didn't have a "yes" and "no" or any numbers, but there was no mistaking the design.

_...They can't be serious..._

Lucifer pointed at the traditionally spade-shaped eye sitting in the bottom right corner of the screen. "You'll move this around over the letters to spell out any of our names to summon a card with a bit of our power. Which card you'll want will depend on the attributes of the task. I can already tell you that you'll need a Pride card for your first task, so go ahead and spell out my name."

At this point, the other demons had gathered around to watch. Nyx touched the Ouija eye and dragged it over to the L on the screen before sliding her finger over every letter of his name. The screen lit up blue the moment she finished. She held the device away from her a bit, not sure what to expect. Tiny blue orbs and fairy-like sparkles drifted up from the D.D.D., gathering until a card materialized.

Nyx just stared at the hovering card, mouth agape. Lucifer chuckled at her reaction before reaching out to pluck the card from the air, presenting it to her. It was the size of a standard playing card, gray, with a simple blue border. A large blue circle with a white fan-like design took up the center of the card.

"There we are, now you're ready to tackle your first task," Lucifer said.

She took the card from him, turning it over to find a picture of a peacock matching the one she'd seen on the tapestry earlier. "All right, I admit, that was pretty cool."

"If you liked that then I think you'll like how you'll use it on the stage," Diavolo chimed in.

Nyx eyed the stage behind him. "Why a stage?"

"You're about to find out," Lucifer answered, tapping her D.D.D.'s screen to back out of the Nightmare app, "Now, find the app labeled 'Your Tasks.' It should be easy to locate."

Nyx quickly found and opened the next app, a list of lessons labeled 1-20 popping up. She tapped on lesson one, opening it to find another list of...

"Dance battles?!" she exclaimed.

Diavolo let out a hearty laugh. "Yes! Doesn't it sound like fun? I hear humans love dancing as much as demons do, so we thought we'd incorporate it in your training."

"Right..." Nyx replied with poorly veiled uncertainty.

"Don't worry, I'll assist you with this first one to show you how it's done," Lucifer purred with an amused grin.

He tapped on her device to open the first battle, revealing some game-like details about the battle that she didn't yet understand, as well as a start button. She recognized the blue circle with the fan icon from the card she'd just summoned and guessed that was the attribute Lucifer had mentioned before. There was a second, slightly smaller circle icon -an orange one with a "S" shaped hook and a water drop- next to the first icon. She wondered which attribute it represented.

Lucifer placed a hand on her back to gently push her forward, guiding her around Diavolo and to the right side of the stage. "We'll want to be on the stage before starting."

Diavolo turned to the three small demons patiently waiting on the left side of the stage. "Now remember Little Ds One, Two, and Three, this is our guest's first dance battle, so go easy on her."

"Right!" they all said simultaneously, giving the Demon Lord a salute.

It was a small step up to get onto the stage, the checkered dance floor lighting up in various shades of blue the moment her feet made contact. The backdrop also came to life with the new color, a multitude of decorative sun themed shapes and designs spinning and swaying. Sparkly streamers with bats hung down from the stage's roof, swaying with the backdrop. Small blue and orange lights twinkled around the stage's outer borders, as well as along the top of the backdrop. Nyx couldn't help but look about in awe.

"Now," Lucifer began, turning to face her, "to use the card you'll need to attune your energy to it. To do that with this card specifically, you'll need to summon your own pride from within to the surface. Make sense?"

Nyx knitted her brows together. "I think so..."

She lifted the card to her eye level and tried to do what he had instructed. She closed her eyes.

_Summon my inner pride... be proud in this moment..._ she told herself.

A memory of one of her best friends came to her then, his voice echoing in her mind.

_"Come on, Nyx, you got this! You're our residential badass! There's no way this'll get the better of you. You'll see."_

_Dante..._

Lucifer hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "Perhaps I'll need to help you with this part too..." He reached a hand up toward her hers.

"Wait, Lucifer!" Diavolo called, causing Lucifer to freeze before he could take Nyx's hand.

The Demon Lord was leaning over the stage, watching Nyx closely as if he could see something the others couldn't. Just then, a blue aura started to slowly surround Nyx's form, spreading out from her center until it enveloped the card as well. The aura around the card then burst into blue flames, quickly disintegrating.

Nyx gasped, eyes going wide as she felt the power from the card flow into her. The rush was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her whole body tingled with electricity.

"Oh wow..." she breathed.

It wasn't until the words had left her that she fully realized where her gaze had landed upon opening. Her stare was locked with Lucifer's, and he was watching her intently. She watched a rather devilish grin form the Avatar of Pride's face, the type of grin that caused her cheeks to glow with a slight blush.

Nyx averted her gaze and cleared her throat. "Fascinating. What's next?"

Lucifer chuckled, shaking his head. He pointed to her device. "Next you'll start the battle through the app. We'll have 20 seconds to cease victory by scoring higher than the other team by the end of the match."

Nyx nodded. "Simple enough. How do I score points?"

He tilted his chin up. "Just follow my lead and do as I do."

She took a deep breath and lifted her D.D.D.

"Are you ready, Little Ds?" Diavolo called, drumming his fingertips together with anticipation.

"Ready!" they cheered, the one with yellow horns and his orange horned brother both giving Diavolo a thumbs up while the Little D with blue horns opted for another solute.

Nyx exhaled, then pressed start.

A countdown from three began and she slipped the phone into her pocket before mirroring Lucifer's stance. A whistle sounded the start of the match and the music began. The Little Ds began to sway and spin, as did Nyx's dance partner. She followed suit, the magic circulating through her seemed to guide her movements until she found herself falling into sync with him. She felt the electric energy building up within her, growing until she thought it might consume her. It made her feel powerful.

Colorful flames enveloped the Little Ds suddenly and their movements shifted. Each one sporting a fiery aura that matched their hat and horn color. Blue, yellow, and orange.

"They're about to throw a charm our way. We're going to counter it with our own," Lucifer instructed then, taking a new stance.

Nyx did the same, surprise taking over her features when she saw both her and Lucifer's bodies become engulfed by soft blue flames, just as the Little Ds' had. There was no pain, however. Just a warm, flowing sensation with a slight tingle.

"Stay focused. We're about to attack."

Nyx gave him a quick nod then focused once again on the Little Ds. They jumped in the air, one after another, doing a quick spin and striking cute, happy, and somewhat silly poses upon landing. Their fiery auras burst forward from their bodies and headed straight for Nyx and Lucifer.

Lucifer acted quickly, jumping in front to take the brunt of the incoming charm with a graceful twirl, firing off a charm of his own with a simple yet powerful pose. One hand rested on his chest while the other extended out to their opponents, palm up, his own fiery aura shooting forward to successfully deflecting all three of the Little Ds' magical charms. Nyx wasted no time to fall in behind him, landing next to him with a well-mirrored pose.

She felt -as well as saw- the energy she had built up during the dance rush from her presented hand, following Lucifer's and hitting the Little Ds like a well-timed one-two punch. The Little Ds squeaked in surprise; their movements halted for about two seconds.

"Very good, Nyx," Lucifer praised. "Now, I want you to lead the next attack. As soon as you build up enough energy again, repeat the move we just made." He flashed her a playful grin. "Let's see if we can strike first this time."

Nyx couldn't help it as her expression finally broke into a full smile. This dance battle stuff was just so invigorating! She hadn't imagined it would be this empowering, or this fun! She spun back into her previous position and resumed swaying to the music, more confidence in her steps as she let herself get lost in the rhythm. Lucifer easily fell into step with her, watching her closely. 

Just like before, she felt the magical energy build up within her. Once she felt that same near overpowering sensation as before, she stepped into position, readying her next move. Her aura flared up again and she jumped forward. She barely noticed that Lucifer had done the same, allowing them to fire off their charms simultaneously. Nyx watched in awe as their attacks merged together, hitting the Little Ds before they could attempt a counter. This time they fell to the ground, looking dazed and confused. A whistle blew, and the music came to a stop.

Nyx was breathing a little heavy as she stood in her pose, another smile forming as she realized what the whistle had been for.

The match was over, and they'd won. And she felt great for it.

Her head jerked to the front of the stage at the sound of applause, and she saw that everyone, save Mammon, was clapping. Diavolo hopped up onto the stage and strode over to them, clapping all the way over with a huge smile on his face.

"That was fantastic! You two fell into sync so quickly. And Nyx! You took to Lucifer's power so easily! I wasn't expecting that from an ordinary human," Diavolo praised.

"Yes. Granted it was only a very small amount of my power, you harnessed it with little effort. You must have more pride than I first thought," Lucifer added, beaming down at Nyx.

Even as the magic from the Pride card faded away, Nyx felt her core swell with their praise.

"I have to say, that was a lot more fun than I thought it would be." She ran a hand through the short side of her hair, a coy smile claiming her features. "I've never experienced anything like that before."

Diavolo's shoulders shook with a joyful laugh. "Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I was hoping you would."

"Wow! Would you look at that? Nyx's whole attitude just did a one-eighty," Asmodeus said to his brothers. "She was so angry and cold before, but now she's glowing!"

Beelzebub nodded. "Yeah, she seemed to really enjoy that dance battle."

"Indeed," Satan agreed, tapping his chin. "It appears as though she possesses a fighting spirit. She really came alive in that battle. And she did surprisingly well."

"Pfff, whatever. I say she just had some beginner's luck," Mammon jeered.

"If that were true, Lucifer wouldn't have given her the lead in the second half," Beelzebub countered.

Mammon just scoffed and looked away, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

Nyx eyed the chatting demons, a touch of her anger returning at Mammon's words, but not enough to ruin her little power high. Her attention was brought back when Diavolo spoke again.

"Now that the battle is done, you should have a small reward to collect on the app. Go ahead and look."

Nyx did as he said, finding the word "Win!" displayed on the screen. She tapped it and a pop up for 500 Grimm appeared.

"It's not a whole lot, but I figured I'd give you a little something for your contribution to this project of mine," Diavolo said, crossing his arms. "I'll be monitoring your magical growth with these dance battles. The hope is you'll be able to learn how to charm and resist the charms of demons while expanding your magical potential. Since you have very little magic yourself, you're the perfect human for this project." He uncrossed his arm, showing his palms to her. "If this works, future exchange students will be given this task to help them do the same. So your participation is very important."

"Right. No pressure then," Nyx joked nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

Diavolo smiled reassuringly and moved to stand next to her, placing a hand on her back to guide her off the stage as he spoke. Lucifer took the opposing side and walked with them to the front of the stage.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Just do your best and have fun with it," the Demon Lord said, patting her back before removing his hand.

She gave him a small smile and nodded. She was finding it hard to not like this future demon king. He had such a warm, cheery demeanor that made acting callously towards him difficult. Part of Nyx wondered if it was a ruse, but another part of her felt a certain truth to his behavior. She decided he deserved her respect either way. She could always change her mind later, after all.

"Also, since you'll be helping me with laying the groundwork for future human exchange students, I've decided to make you a council member. You'll be expected to attend our meetings, plus this will give you access to the student council hall, which you'll need to complete your dance battles."

Nyx gave him another nod. "Understood."

With that, hey hopped off the stage and stood among the four awaiting demon brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my idea for incorporating the dance battles into a written story format. If you want, please let me know what you think of this take on the dance battles. Do you think it honors the in-game dance battles? Does it make sense? Does it have enough of the in-game elements of the dance battles to remind you enough of them? 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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